Bowers & Wilkins new 600 Series

March 20, 2014
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Article

The Bowers & Wilkins award winning 600 Series now has six new speakers that significantly improve every element of the design by combining technology from their high-end speakers with all new engineering solutions unique to the range. Bowers & Wilkins has set the objective to offer high audio performance, power and a stylish package at an affordable price point so that everyone can enjoy their music, whether it be for hi-fi or home cinema. The new range will reach you local dealer soon, so let’s have a look at some of the technologies before you go have a listen.

Bowers & Wilkins Decoupled Double Dome Tweeter

The 600 Series uses tweeter technology from Bowers & Wilkins award-winning CM10 speaker. Double Dome tweeters feature a thin aluminium dome for lightness, surrounded by a thicker aluminium ring for rigidity. The Decoupled Double Dome tweeter is a major technological advance in the new 600 Series where the entire tweeter assembly is further decoupled, being physically separated from the cabinet by a cushioning synthetic gel ring for acoustic independence. Preventing cabinet vibrations reaching the tweeter leads to cleaner high-frequency performance and more natural, spacious sound.

Kevlar has been used for their midrange cones since 1974 and the new 600 Series uses this Bowers & Wilkins iconic Kevlar cone technology, as this material is ideal for absorbing standing waves for cleaner, purer midrange sound without colouration. Their “Fixed Suspension Transducer” drivers help Kevlar cones perform even better. FST’s innovative ‘surroundless’ suspension minimises distortion as the Kevlar cones are mounted in a narrow ring of foam which minimises distortion by converting unwanted energy into heat, not sound.

Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series

Both the 683 and HTM61 feature improved bass drivers, with a new Dual Layer construction. The result is a cone with a higher break up frequency, for a richer, distortion-free bass response and better integration with the midrange.

Nautilus Tapering Tubes, filled with absorbent wadding, reduce unwanted sound to a minimum, as sound from the rear of a driver or tweeter can create unwanted resonances in a cabinet and undermine the good sound coming from the front.

Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series

The 600 Series includes three subwoofers, ranging from the compact ASW608 to the powerful 500 watt ASW610XP, each offering an audiophile-standard, highly efficient Class D amplifier.

Finally, we need to remember that drivers act on the signals distributed to them by the electrical processing part: the crossover, a key factor in ultimate sound reproduction. The quality of the Bowers & Wilkins speaker design allows for a simpler electronic design which undergoes exhaustive listening tests in different acoustic environments and with a wide range of music to rigorously assess the performance of each component until the optimum component for each position in the circuit is found. Fine-tuning by ear is only possible if the crossover is simple.